Trolley-pole retriever.



E. B. WINTRODE, DECD.y

A. H. WINTBODE, ADMINISTRATOR.

TROLLEY POLE RETRIEVBR.

APPLICATION FILED .11211.13, 1911.

1 ,039,346, Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPII c0..WASmNuToN. D. C.

E. B. WINTRODE, DEGD.

A. H. WINTBODE, ADMINISTRATOR.

TROLLEY POLE RETRIBVBR.

APPLICATION FILED APB.13. 1811.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

i l l l 5 1 coLUmum PLANoou/PH E0..\VASHINOTON. n. c.

UNITED` STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD B. WINTRODE, DECEASED, LATE` OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, BYALFRED I-I. WINTRODE, ADMINISTRATOR, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

TROLLEY-POLE RETRIEVER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 13, 1911.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

Serial No. 620,887.

following is a specification.

One of the leading objects of this invention is so to simplify theconstruction of trolley pole retrievers as to make it practicable forthe same to be brought into commercial use.

A further object of this invention is to give maximum pressure of thetrolley wheel upon the feed wire during the time the motor is consumingthe greatest current, thus securing the surest contact between thetrolley wheel and wire at the time when most needed.

Other objects and advantages may hereinafter appear.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention,Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the working parts of a trolleyconstructed in accordance with the principles of the invention; Fig. 2is a broken side elevation showing the retrieving mechanism on anenlarged scale and in a different position from that shown in Fig. 1,namely the position after the trolley has left the wire and when theparts are moving to a position for allowing the pole to drop. Stillother positions are shown in dotted lines; Fig. 3 is a rear view, thetrolley pole and car top being sectioned; Fig. 4 is an enlargedcross-section on line wt of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a broken cross-section online m5 of Fig. 6; Fig. 6 is a transverse section on line :v6 of Fig. 2;Fig. 7 is a diagram of the electrical connections.

Referring in detail to the drawings, to the car top 1 is secured a baseplate 2 having a bore 3 around which extends a circular rise 4. Uponsaid base plate is rotatably mounted a post 5 having at its lower end a'friction plate 6 which embraces the rise 4 and forms a bearingthereover. Said post 5 is provided with a downwardly projecting centralstem 7 which extends through the base plate 2and car top 1, and issurrounded beneath the car top with a follower plate`8, the lower end ofsaid stem being threaded and provided with a nut 9 and washer 11 toclamp the post 5 rotatably in place.

To the upper end of post 5 is pivoted the usual trolley pole socket 12by means of bolt 13 and carries the trolley pole 14. To

each side of the trolley pole is clamped a flanged yoke 15 by means ofbolt 1G, said yokes being provided with outwardly projecting rails 17.Over each rail 17 is fitted a side plate 18 which is secured to yoke 15by means of screws 19. Returning again to post 5, from said postprojects main frame 21 on the free end of which is pivotally mounted adouble bell-crank 22 which swings in a vertical plane. Said bell-crankis provided with short actuating arm 23 to the lower end of which issecured actuating means hereinafter described.

Main frame 21 has downwardly depending arms 24 and 25. Through said armsslidably extends a horizontal solenoid rod 26 which is made ofinsulating material and carries at its outer end a vertically slottedhead 27. Through the slot 27 of said head extends a bolt 28 whichextends through and connects together t-he short arms 23. Said rod 26has fixed thereto a laminated block 29 which, in conjunction with coil30, forms an electro-magnet when the current is passing through saidcoil.

31 is an insulating sleeve and 32 is a protecting housing for said coiland sleeve. Said insulating sleeve 31 prevents leakage of the electriccurrent from the turns of the coil. The bolt 28 is provided with ananti-friction sleeve 33 which prevents friction between said bolt andthe inner sides of the slot 27 As best shown in Fig. 6, a coiled tensionspring 34 is secured to each end of said bolt by means of a link 35. Theother ends of said springs are adjustably connected to the arm 24 bymeans of tension bolts 36. The upper end of bell-crank 22 is providedwith a pair of longer arms 37, each of said arms carrying an inwardlyprojecting trunnion bolt 38 (see Fig. 4) screwed into a thickenedportion 39 at the end of each arm. The inner end of each bolt 38 carriesa yoke between the arms of which is mounted an anti-friction roller 42which travels on a side plate 18 already described. Each bolt 38 alsocarries a main anti-friction roller 43 which travels on the under sideof the rails 17. At the forward end of each rail 17 is a dog 44 which ispivoted on a bolt 45 and is normally held by a spring 46 in the positionshown in full lines in Fig. 2, in which position said dog forms acontinuation of the rail 17. Said dog may be provided with a tail-piece47 which laps over upon a stop or ledge 48 at the front end of rail 17.Above the plates 18 apair of resetting rollers 49 are secured to thetrolley pole by means of the split casting 51 which is clamped to thepole by a bolt 52. Each of said rollers 49 is in a vert-ical alinementwith one of the arms 37 so as to engage said arm when the trolley poleis pullet' down. A stop block 53 (see Figs. 1 and 2) at the outer end offrame 21 limits the movement of the bell-crank 22 so that the arms 37thereof will not move farther up than shown in Fig. 2. 54 is the usualtrolley wheel and 55 the line wire.

ln Fig. 7 the course of the trolley pole wire 56 is shown, said wirebeing led down into the rear end of the solenoid and then back thereoverfrom the front end thereof (in order to follow frame 21 of Fig. 6) andthence down through the circuit breaker and motor to the rails.

. The operation is as follows: Normally the parts are in the positionshown in Fig. 1, the combined action of the springs 84 andelectrofmagnet holding the bell crank arms 37 upward with sufficientforce to cause the pressure of rollers 43 against the under sides ofrails 17 to maintain the trolley wheel 54 in contact with the line wire55 under the desired degree of pressure. If, now, the trolley leaves thewire, the bell. crank 22 forces the trolley pole farther up until therollers 48 travel beyond the ends of the rails 17 and become disengagedtherefrom, thereupon assuming the position shown in full lines in Fig.2. r1`he trolley pole then falls until the resetting rollers 49 carriedthereby strike uponthe crank arms 37. At this time, by reason of theelectric current being cut off from the electrosmagnet, the crank arms37 are maintained in the upright position only by the action of thesprings 34. Said springs 34 yield suiiiciently to allow the rollers 49to partially depress the crank arms 37, when the trolley pole falls andthe rollers 49 strike them, said arms acting to cushion the fall of thetrolley pole. At such time the roller 49 will occupy approximately theuppermost of the two dotted outlines thereof shown in Fig. 2. rIheconductor may now pull the trolley pole down, thereby farther depressingthe crank arms 37 under the pressure of rollers 49, until the rollers 43Vcarried by said crank arms engage dogs 44 forwardly of their pivots andcause said dogs to trip into the position shown in Fig. 2 in the dottedlower position, until the rollers 43 pass beneath said dogs and springs46 restore the dogs to their normal position, bringing said dogs abovethe rollers 43. Farther pulling down of the trolley pole causes therollers 49 to force the arms 37 down to the lowest dotted position shownin Fig. 2. If, now, the conductor release his pull upon the trolleypole, thus relieving the pressure of the rollers 49 from the baseportion .of the arms 37, the springs 34 will bring the rollers 43 intoengagement with the lower sides of the dogs 44 causing the rollers 43 totra-vel along the lower sides of the dogs and rails 17 and moving thetrolley pole upward until the normal position of the parts, shown inFig. 1, is again attained. As soon as the trolley wheel 54 again engagesthe line wire the electro-magnet is energized and the bell crank isgiven an additional tension, the trolley wheel being thereby held moreforcibly in contact with the line wire. As the lever arm 37 approachesthe position in which it is at right angles to the pole 14, the polewill be sustained by the exertion of a smaller force upon said lever dueto the fact that almost all of the weight of the pole is taken up by thebolt with which the arm 97 is pivoted to the base. Therefore, thisarrangement compensates for the lessened tension with which the spring34 acts upon the lever arm 37, owing to the pivot of the arm 37, thepart 23, and the point of engagement of the spring 34 to the frame beingmore nearly in alinement.

llVhat is claimed is:

1. The combination, with a trolley pole, of a lifting member, meanstending normally to raise said member, a track carried by said poleagainst which said member operates to lift said pole and over the end ofwhichsaid member may pass to allow said pole to fall, a roller carriedby said lifting member and traveling on said track, and a dog to permitsaid member to pass said track in returning to normal position, said dogforming a portion of said track.

2. The combination, with the trolley pole, of a track carried by saidpole, said track being extended out from both sides of said pole, a pairof lifting arms pivoted to swing in unison in a vertical plane, saidarms having inwardly projecting portions to engage said track on eachside of said pole, and means to force said arms upwardly to cause saidinwardly projecting portions thereof normally to bear against the underside of said track to lift said pole, said arms being movable across theend of said track to permit said pole to fall after an excessive upwardmovement thereof, said track having a pivoted portion to permit saidarms to be brought therebeneath.

3. The combination, with the trolley pole, of a trackcarried by saidpole, a lifting arm to lift said'pole, a roller carried by the free thelower side of said track, said arm and said pole normally being inclinedin reverse directions to increase the lifting power of said arm androller upon said track and pole when the p'ole approaches the normalposition, means tending to swing said arm np- Wardly, said arm androller being adapted to escape from the end of Said track upon anexcessive upward movement of the pole, and means to automaticallyrestore said arm, roller and track to operative relations when thetrolley pole is fully depressed.

4. In combination, a trolley pole, a track carried by said pole andext-ending in approximately the same direction therewith, a dog normallyforming a continuation of the end of said track nearest the base of thetrolley pole, said dog being adapted for downward deflection, means toautomatically restore said dog to normal position, and lifting means tobear against and travel along the under side of said track to lift saidpole, said lifting means freeing itself from the upper end of said trackto permit said pole to fall from an excessively elevated position, andmeans carried by said pole to force said lifting means down upon andunder said dog when said pole is fully depressed.

5. In combination, a trolley pole, a track carried thereby and extendingfrom each side thereof in the same general direction therewith, arms tobear against the under side of said track to maintain said pole normallyin the elevated position, antifriction means carried by said arms toengage said track, and vertical plates carried by said pole to keep saidarms in place on said track.

6. In combination, a trolley pole, a track carried thereby, said trackhaving a pivoted portion, a lifting member pivoted to swing in avertical plane and normally engaging the under side of said track tolift said pole, said member when in the operative position beinginclined in the reverse direction to said pole, and a part carried bysaid pole above said track to engage and depress said member when thepole is depressed to bring said member into engagement with and forcethe ame beneath the pivoted portion of said trac 7. The combination,with the trolley pole, of a pair of yokes, means to clamp said yokestogether astride said pole, flanges with which said yokes are providedto form rails, and means normally engaging the under side of said railsto maintain said pole in the elevated position.

8. The combination with a trolley pole, of a track carried thereby, aswinging arm that normally engages the under side of the track forholding the pole in a normal elevated position, said arm disengaging theY track when the pole reaches an abnormally raised position, to permitthe pole to drop, a device carried by the pole and normally disengagedfrom the arm, said device engaging and depressing the arm when the poledrops, said track being provided with a separately movable portion topermit said arm to rengage the under side of the track when the pole islowered, and means other than said device for thus lowering the pole.

9. In combination, a trolley pole, a member pivoted to swing in avertical plane to sustain said pole, said membervbeing normally inclinedin the reverse direction to said pole, a track carried by the poleagainst the under side of which the free end of said member normallybears to hold the pole in its normal operative position, said trackextending lengthwise of the pole, a roller carried by the free end ofsaid member to travel upon said track, said roller automaticallydisengaging said track to allow the pole to drop when it reaches anabnormal position, and a spring to actnate said member, the tension ofsaid spring upon said member becoming less direct as said memberappreaches a position at right angles to the pole.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angelesand State of California, this Sth day of April, 1911.

ALFRED H. VVINTRODE, Administrator of the estate of Edward B.

Wintrode, deceased. Witnesses:

JOHN M. YORK, ALBERT I-I. MERRILL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of atents. Washington, D. C.

